Yeoncheon-gun Completes Payment of 10.2 Billion KRW for 2024 Basic Public Interest Direct Payment

Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, announced on the 6th that it paid 10.2 billion KRW in 2024 Basic Public Interest Direct Payments to 4,026 farming households on the 3rd.

Yeoncheon County Office building. Provided by Yeoncheon County.

The Public Interest Direct Payment System is a program that provides direct payments to farmers who meet certain qualifications and comply with requirements to promote the public functions of agriculture and rural areas, such as environmental conservation, rural maintenance, and food safety, as well as to stabilize farmers' incomes through agricultural activities.

Among the recipients, 1,304 small-scale farmers received 1.7 billion KRW in small-scale direct payments, and 2,722 farmers received 8.5 billion KRW in area-based payments.

In Yeoncheon-gun, from February to April, applications for direct payments were accepted online and in person at the administrative welfare centers of the towns and townships with the largest farmland areas. From June to September, eligibility verification and compliance inspections were conducted to finalize the list of recipients.

The Basic Public Interest Direct Payment provides 1.3 million KRW regardless of area to small-scale direct payment recipients who meet certain qualifications, such as cultivating farmland of 5,000㎡ or less. Area-based direct payment recipients are classified into three tiers based on area ranges, with a regressive payment rate applied, decreasing the unit price as the standard area increases, ranging from 1 million to 2.05 million KRW per hectare.

Notably, this year, the small-scale direct payment amount per household increased from 1.2 million KRW last year to 1.3 million KRW, which is expected to significantly contribute to income stability for small-scale farmers.

For inquiries regarding the Basic Public Interest Direct Payment, contact the Agricultural Policy Division or the relevant town or township office responsible for applications and reception.

A Yeoncheon-gun official stated, “As the number of recipients and payment amounts have expanded, we hope this will help stabilize the incomes of more farming households. We will continue to make every effort to promote various supports that can help increase farmers' incomes.”